Helena Rubinstein used guile, brilliant branding, and more than a few falsehoods to lift cosmetics from an accessory for prostitutes to a desired luxury item. Geoffrey Jones reveals her history.
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For many cities that host the Olympic Games, the central stadium is nothing more than a white elephant after the competition ends. Stephen A. Greyser and Isao Okada pinpoint actions cities can take to give them new life.
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After the Games end, Olympic venues must be used effectively and earn enough revenue to cover large ongoing costs or their owners—local governments and taxpayers—will face deficits. This fieldwork-based research and analysis of stadium use at 10 of the last 12 Summer Olympics sites highlights eight factors for better sustainability.

This field-based study of the Union of European Football Associations and its main international sporting event, the European Championships, explores key organizational capabilities that underlie value creation and enhancement in an event’s portfolio of sponsorship relationships. Developing and employing these capabilities--collaborative, absorptive, adaptive, and learning--have positive results for the event as well as for its sponsors. When effectively undertaken and coordinated, the activities can lead to ongoing renewals of the sponsorship program and open the door for new sponsors. The study’s perspective is that of the event, unusual in research on sponsorship.

What makes the Nobel Prize so coveted? Stephen Greyser and Mats Urde discuss the first field-based study exploring the prize from a brand and reputation perspective.
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This study examines the Nobel Prize as a true heritage brand in a networked situation and explores its identity, reputation, and stewardship. It is the first field-based research on the Nobel Prize as a brand. The authors define a heritage brand as one where its past is leveraged into its positioning and value proposition for the present, and the future. A networked situation is one where several organizations join together to create a new entity with its own strategy and identity. Overall, the authors develop and articulate a new approach to and framework for examining and analyzing corporate brand identity and reputation, and apply it to the Nobel Prize. Key concepts include: This study investigates and illuminates what the Nobel Prize is and how it works in practice. The Nobel Prize's brand core identity—"for the benefit of mankind"—is rooted in its past (the will of Alfred Nobel), informs and guides its present, and strengthens its relevance for the future "as the world's most prestigious award." The research examines, explores, and seeks to understand the Nobel Prize—its brand, identity, and reputation—as well as how and why it has the character it does. The Nobel Prize is a "networked brand" with the Nobel Prize at the hub of a network of four other independent collaborating organizations. They have a shared goal of sustaining and reinforcing the meaning and values of the Nobel Prize, while each maintains its own identity and other goals.
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With billions of dollars on the line at this year's troubled Winter Olympics, Stephen Greyser breaks down what's at stake for the brands of NBC, key corporate sponsors, Russia—and Vladimir Putin.
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Japanese money flowing from broadcasting rights, sponsorships, and merchandise contributes substantially to the prosperity of Major League Baseball (MLB) in America. This market growth depends on wide exposure of and good performance by Japanese major leaguers. Acquiring and signing these stars can become a passport to get in touch with the Japanese market directly. The authors examine how the MLB clubs have tried to commercialize their investment in Japanese top stars and assesses whether the clubs have succeeded. Seven factors attract revenues from Japanese companies and fans: pitcher or position player, player's popularity, non-stop flights from Japan, distance from Japan, non-sport tourist attractions in a city, size of Japanese community in the city, and player's and team's performance. The most important factor, however, is the player's talent and popularity in terms of performance in both Japan and the US and his media exposure in Japan including endorsement contracts. Key concepts include: In terms of attracting Japanese spectators and corporate sponsors, signing a position player has a clear advantage for MLB clubs compared to signing a pitcher. High popularity for each player is a prerequisite condition for success in attracting revenues from Japanese companies and fans. In terms of attracting spectators from Japan, there is a presumed advantage for cities that have non-stop flights from Japan. However, it is difficult to estimate how big an impact direct flights have. When Japanese travelers whose prime interest is to see a MLB game plan to visit the US, distance from Japan affects somewhat their willingness to make the trip. When Japanese tourists choose a destination to see an MLB game in the US, attraction points other than MLB ballparks are influential, unless the tourists are solely fans of a specific player. The larger the local Japanese community, the larger the opportunity for a team to attract people to the ballpark for a Japanese star. If a Japanese major leaguer does not perform well in the MLB level, he could lose his luster even if he was a top player and very popular in Japan.
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The most difficult challenge at The Olympics is the behind-the-scenes efforts to actually get them up and running. Is it worth it? HBS professors Stephen A. Greyser, John D. Macomber, and John T. Gourville offer insights into the business behind the games.
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Many students say legendary Harvard Business School marketing professor Ted Levitt changed their lives inside his classroom and out. "Ted Levitt was the most influential and imaginative professor in marketing history," HBS professor and senior associate dean John Quelch eulogized on the occasion of Levitt's death in 2006. Colleagues and students remember a life and times. From HBS Alumni Bulletin.
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We know which athletes won and lost in Turin, but what about the companies and individuals looking for business gold? Professor Stephen A. Greyser looks at the results—and the possibilities ahead in China.
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